The crazy moment starts right after you click ‘Submit Details of Payment’. After a short moment of giddiness from purchasing something you really want for half the price you come crashing down really quick. Because then, you entered what is known as the wait. You are well aware that shipment will take 4-6 working days, so you try to downplay your excitement because everyone knows waiting sucks and it is tiring to be that excited every single day when your most desired item (that you just purchased) is nowhere insight.

Any attempt to distract yourself from  pining for your item and wiling it to arrive faster made impossible by the arrays of emails coming your way after  you close that online shop window. Five minutes after purchase is made, an email will come thanking you for the order followed by many ‘informative’ ones telling you the item is on stock/dispatched/on the plane/stuck in custom/and, or in its last leg to be delivered to your house.

You think you know better but then you start fidgeting  and thinking whether it is a public holiday too in Hongkong for good Friday. Of course it is, and how about Easter Monday? Well, Indonesia has no public holiday for Easter Monday, but you don’t buy your thing in Indonesia, do you? So which days are actually included in that 4-6 working days delivery?!!! Australian working days? Which days goddamnit! You start name calling yourself, getting agitated and really anxious from the wait, but you try to calm yourself down, and all these craziness are happening in your head. You try to act normal around friends and family, and for half a day you actually are successful and behaving like normal people. Until you get the email thanking you for the purchase (again!) while telling you that your package has arrived in YOUR country. Then you go back to square one, crazy central. What, it’s basically a countdown!

And then a white van stops in front of your house (not that you are waiting by the window suspecting any vehicle coming your way is the delivery truck) and you open the door before the man has the chance to ring the bell. You are so happy that looking at the package with stupid purple ribbon around makes you all wide-eyed and just so VERY impressed by the company’s ‘personal touch’ and also feel like hugging the delivery guy all in the same time. And you realise you say some of the things out loud –thank God it’s mostly about the ribbon– when the guy said, yeah, they just want you to go and buy more from them shop! Right. What does he know?! You do not let him raining on your parade.

Then when you think it is not going to happen, it happened. The world is right again. You have the item you purchased online 4-6 days ago in your hands, and all your anxiety just gone. Finally. Your crazy online shopaholic twin temporarily subdued.

Until the next purchase.